The Case of the Golden Emerald
by MSP841000
Summary: This story is about the Station Square Detective Agency, and is set in a 1950's style Station Square. The story is narrated by Knuckles. He and his 2 partners must stop the Robotnic Gang from stealing one of the Chaos Emeralds.
1. Chapter 1: Time Bomb

It was a dark, harsh night in Station Square; which was pretty much like every night in the God-forsaken city. The unusual thing was that we were chasing a member of the Robotnic Gang. They had been inactive for years, but now I guess they were finally coming back with a vengeance. But before I get ahead of myself, maybe I should introduce myself. I'm Knuckles the Echidna, I belong to the greatest team of detectives in the whole city. I consider my self the brawn of the group. I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I've knocked down plenty of the giant-sized block heads of the Robotnic Gang. Don't believe me? Then you can shove it! Anyways, back to the story.  
Me and my partner, Sonic, were chasing a low-ranked member of the R. Gang. He apparently had a bomb detonator and was heading for Station Square's City Hall. We were trying to catch the bastard before he could get within range of the bomb. My other partner, Tails, was on the radio.  
"Try to shoot out his tires or something before he gets to City Hall, I don't want to pick up chunks of the mayor off of the sidewalk". Something about Tails is, he has a very dry sense of humor, which I guess is what you would expect from a genius. Most people call Tails the brains of the group. He always radios in and gives me and Sonic the 411 on anything and everything about a case. He can be very socially awkward though, he's not much of a people person.  
Sonic took his gun and stuck his body out the window. He took three shots and completely missed the guys tires. Sonic never had very good aim, but I didn't hold that against him. If Tails is the brains and I'm the brawn, Sonic would be the backbone. He's not as strong as me or as smart as Tails, but he has a big heart and a passion for justice.  
"Damn motorcycle, I can't hit it!"  
"Sonic, don't rush into it, just carefully aim for the tire!"  
He shot once more, and to my surprise, he actually hit the tire! The motorcycle spun out of control and crashed into a ditch. I smashed on the brakes, and the car came to a screeching halt. Sonic got out of the car first.  
"I'll run to city hall and try to find and deactivate the bomb, you can have fun beating the crap out of the dick in the ditch"  
With that, he darted off towards city hall.  
I got out of the car and went over to the ditch. I picked up the perpetrator by the neck and was about to punch him, but I notices something very peculiar... HE WAS A DAMN ROBOT!!!! The robot started to beep and twitch.  
"Bomb detonation in two minutes..."  
"W-what did you say?"  
The robots chest opened up and there was a detonator timer.  
"Bomb detonation in one minute and thirty seconds"  
"Stop that!!" I yelled as I was beginning to lose my cool.  
"OK Tails, I found the bomb... now how do I deactivate it?"  
I got my radio out of my pocket, still holding the siezuring robot by the neck.  
"Sonic, the bomb is set to go off in the next thirty seconds!"  
"Aw crap, of course it is! Hurry up, Tails! which wire do I cut?!"  
"I'm pretty sure you cut the blue one"  
"Pretty sure?! I don't wanna blow up if your wrong!"  
"JUST FREAKIN DO IT SONIC!!!" I screamed into the radio, almost breaking it with my grip.  
The clock on the robot's chest was on its final three seconds. When the clock hit zero, I heard nothing but static on the other end.  
"Sonic?"  
No response.  
"Sonic!"  
Still no response.  
"SONIC!!!!"

"Woo, that was close, I thought I was gonna be a deep-fried hedgehog for a second, heh heh"  
"Sonic, you are an idiot! I should come over there and kick your ass!"  
"Sorry Knuckles! I thought it was funny"  
"It wasn't! I thought you got yourself blown up!"  
"I thought it was funny too"  
"Shut up, Tails! It was not!"  
"Whatever, Knuckles... you just need to lighten up. Enough of that, though. Well done, guys! Come back to the base so we can check the robot out.  
"Cool, I'll meet you at the base, Knuckles!"  
"So I have to be with this stupid robot all by myself"  
"Yup, pretty much, see you in a few!"  
"Great..."  
"Bomb detonation failure..."  
"Shut up!" I finally punched the robot in the face and its whole head came off.  
"What did you do, Knuckles?" asked Tails in a very serious tone.  
"Nothing, Tails" I said as I was trying to put its head back on.  
"You broke it, didn't you?"  
"No! I just dropped it an it got some kinks in it..."  
"Sure, Knuckles, just bring it in so I can get a good look at it"  
"OK, Tails, I'm coming"  
I opened the door and through the robot and it's head in the back seat.  
"I wounder why they sent a robot..." I thought to myself as I was driving down the street. It was peculiar that one of Eggman's robots was sent on a mission, they are normally his last line of defence. It was very odd that, after being dormant for years, that they would sent a freaking robot to do their dirty work. Just what were they planning? It gave me goosebumps just thinking about it.


	2. Chapter 2: In the Shadows

The sun was starting to peek over the horizon as I pulled in the driveway.

"God, it's been a long night" I said aloud as I got out of the car. I got the robot and its head and shut the door.

Before I got inside, I ran into Sonic. He was leaning on the brick wall, staring into space chewing on a toothpick. He looked over at me, got up and spit out the toothpick.

"Gosh, take a lifetime to get here!"

"I'm sorry my hunk-of-junk can't drive faster than the speed of sound!"

"Good, you should be!" Sonic said with an obnoxious grin.

"Shut up and take this upstairs!"

I threw the robot's head at him, and he almost dropped it. Typical Sonic.

Tails' office, just like Mine and Sonic's, was on the fifth floor. It was usually never a big deal to climb the stairs, I was used to it. But being sleep deprived, and carrying a robot that was heavier than I was up ten flights of stairs was a bit tough.

"Hurry up, Knuckles! Tails is waiting!" Sonic yelled from two-flights up.

"Shut up Sonic! You just have to carry the head!"

"What? I can't hear you, you are too far down!"

"SHUT UP, SONIC! THERE ARE STILL PEOPLE THAT ARE SLEEPING!!!"

"Sorry, Knuckles, I can't hear you! But tell me when you get up here, there are still people that are sleeping!"

"THAT'S WHAT I SAID!"

"What?!"

"I SAID, THAT'S WHAT I SAID!"

That's when I heard someone down below yell "Shut the hell up!", with the addition to a couple of other choice words.

Stupid Sonic, always getting me into trouble. Then again, he always got me out of trouble as well.

I finally got to the fifth-floor (Halleluja!). By this time, I was dragging the robot by the leg and was almost crawling to Tails' office.

"Welcome back, Knuckles!"

"Yeah; thanks Tails"

I could barely talk. I was so exhausted I was about to collapse.

"Okay, let's take a look at that robot!"

Tails got out of his chair and excitedly ran over to me.

Tails was always very odd to me. He always reminded me of a mad scientist. He would wear nothing but lab coats and pants. And he usually had those weird looking protective goggles. He was one of those people who had the really annoying high-pitched voice, and would rant on and on about nothing. But, overall, he was a good guy.

"Ugh, this thing is heavy! Can you help me take this to the lab?"

"Sure..."

I picked the robot back up and headed next door to Tails' lab. I would have given my soul for a cup of coffee right then.

Tails' lab was exactly what you would suspect. It looked like it belonged to a mad scientist. There were beakers and vials filled with liquids of any color you could think of. One of the walls was a huge chalk-board, which had some equations that looked like Hebrew to me.

I threw the robot on the examining table, probably harder than I meant to because Tails gave me a dirty look.

"Oh my God! Where's his head!" Tails yelled as he glared at me.

"I got it, Tails!"

Sonic ran in the room and threw the head on the table.

"Woah, you guys need to be more careful! You can mess up the hardware!"

"Yeah, yeah. Just look at it so I can go to bed!" I realized that I said that in a very hateful tone, but I was too tired to care.

"Well, fine! I'll try to hurry this up!"

He took this laser pen thing and started to cut into the robot. He examined its insides for about five minutes, then stopped.

"Well, this is a newer model, but it looks like it was just thrown together without much thought. Something interesting I found was the robot was set to explode forty-five seconds after the bomb at City Hall. So I guess it is a good thing that you broke it, Knuckles; or you would have blown to smithereens!"

"That's nice, can I go to bed now?"

"Just one more thing, I found that... blah, blah, blah, blah, internal mechanism, blah, blah, blah"

That's pretty much all I got out of that.

"Okay, I'm going to bed now"

I started for the door, when someone started to knock.

"Sonic, are you in there!?"

"Aw, shit! I forgot I had a date with Amy this morning!" yelled Sonic as he tried to hide.

"Don't let her in, Knuckles! She's gonna be super pissed that I didn't meet her at the diner"

"Well, that's your problem, Sonic, not mine! I'm going downstairs to my apartment, and going to sleep"

I unlocked the door it swung open and hit me in the face. I fell and hit the floor hard.

The next thing I knew I was looking up at Sonic, Amy, and Tails.

"Well, Knuckles... I guess you got your nap after all!"

I really wanted to punch him, but I couldn't really move very well at that moment.

"I am so sorry, Knuckles!"

"I know Amy, it's OK"

What can be said about Amy Rose? She's a cute pink hedgehog with a slightly annoying personality. She is absolutely head-over-heels for Sonic. Although he doesn't admit it, he feels the same way about her. I'd feel sorry for the guy who messes with her, they would either get bitched out by Amy or get knocked out by Sonic (I don't know which is worse).

I finally got up off of the floor. I guess I was okay, except for the throbbing headache. I went over and sat in Tails' chair.

"Sonic, you promised me that you would meet me at the SS Diner this morning!"

"I-I'm sorry, Amy! I lost track of time"

"That's the excuse you used last time!"

"I'll make it up to you!"

"Can we go right now?"

"Ummm"

"UMM, WHAT!?

"I mean yes, let's go!"

"That's what I thought you said!"

You would never think that Sonic would ever meet his match, until you've met Amy.

"But we have some things to discuss before we leave, so can you wait outside the door for like, five minutes?"

"No I can't!They can come too! You guys would like to come, right?"

"Umm, I don't really like being the third wheel... so I'm gonna pass!"

"Don't be silly, Tails! I brought one of my friends to hang out with us!"

"Who?"

"Cream, of coarse!"

When Amy said that, Tails' face turned ruby red.

Cream was Amy's best friend and Tails' "secret" crush. He always denies it, but him and his awkward self makes it obvious that he likes her. And I guess I don't blame him. She's a cute little rabbit girl that is always cheerful and polite. She's definitely not my type, but she'd be good with Tails.

"Hello, everybody! Sorry I'm late, I was picking flowers at the park for my mom"

Tails looked like he was going to pop out of his skin. The poor kid was so nervous.

"It's fine, Cream! We were just heading out to the Diner

now. Tails is coming so you guys can catch up!"

"Can we go now, Amy? I'm hungry!"

"Okay, Sonic! Let's go everyone! You Coming, Knuckles?"

"Nah, you guys go ahead and have a good time!"

"Aaww, I don't want you to be by yourself!"

"Come on, Mr. Knuckles; it'll be fun!" said Cream in her soft little voice.

"I don't know if I should"

"Knuckles, we need to talk about the R. Gang!"

"...Okay I'll come"

"Thank you!"

I knew Tails just wanted me to come so he wouldn't act so awkward around Cream, so I thought I would humor him.

The SS Diner was a pretty nice place. I mean sure, it wasn't a five-star joint, but it wasn't a dump.

"what will it be, dears?" asked the old waitress.

I told her I just wanted a cup of black coffee and some pancakes. Amy ordered a water and a cup of fruit (she said she was dieting, but she was already thin enough). Cream ordered some hot chocolate and french toast. Tails wanted an omelette and a glass of tea. Then there was Sonic that ordered the heart-attack special.

"I'll have two orders of chocolate-chip waffles, three eggs sunny-side up, five strips of bacon, and do you have chili dogs for breakfast?"

"I'm sorry, we don't dear"

"Bummer! I guess I just get a chocolate milk to drink too"

"Okay, coming right up!"

"Sonic, how can you eat so much food?"

"I'm hungry, Knuckles! Leave me alone!"

After our food came out, Tails and I started to talk a little about the previous night.

"So, why do you think they wanted to blow up City Hall? That just doesn't sound like there style"

"I don't know, but it seems to me that there is more to it than that" tails said, practically whispering it.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the robot was set to explode too; that just sounds odd to me"

"Who knows... but what I do know is that it's not over yet"

"I hope you're wrong, Knuckles!"

I was too, I really did. The Robotnic Gang was the reason this City had the greatest crime rate in the nation. We had hoped that they were over with, but this recent incident proves that they are still around.

It didn't seem to bother Sonic, though. He was enjoying himself as he vacuumed up his whole plate in a matter of minutes. It was so bad that half of the diner was staring.

"Wow, that was good; now what's for desert?"

"Sonic, are you serious?" asked Amy in disgust.

"Only half serious, babe!"

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her on the cheek. She turned bright red and giggled.

I nudged Tails and whispered in his ear.

"Why don't you order another hot chocolate and share it with Cream?"

Tails stared at me for a couple of seconds then smiled.

"Good idea" he whispered.

"Hey, Cream, wanna split another hot chocolate?"

"Sure, Tails! I would love to!"

Ah, young love... young awkward love.

After breakfast, we headed back to the office. It was almost noon, and I still hadn't had any sleep (if you don't count getting knocked out by the door).

When we reached the building, something caught my eye. There was a black motorcycle with red flame designs on it.

"No way!" I though to myself.

"It can't be him"

The others had already gone inside.

I ran up after them.

"Guys, wait!"

I yelled as I sprinted up the stairs.

I managed to reach the fifth floor before they opened the door to Tails' office.

"What is it, Knuckles?" Sonic asked, confused.

"Don't let the girls in there yet, we need to check something out!"

"Like what?"

"Just trust me! Girls, can you stay out here for a couple of minutes?"

"What's going on, Knuckles?"

"Just do it Amy! Keep Cream out here too!"

"Okay, okay! Come on, Cream, let's go get a soda or something"

Amy took cream and went downstairs.

"What's with you, Knuckles?" asked Tails.

"I'm probably just being crazy, but we might have a visitor, one that we haven't seen in years"

I reached for the door and slowly opened it. It was pitch black in the room, the blinds were blocking the light coming through the window.

"I think you are right, Knuckles, I didn't put the blinds down" Tails had a slight sense of fear in his voice.

I walked in the room, and heard a deep, dark voice coming from the corner of the room.

"Hello, Knuckles! Long time no see!"

I turned on the light switch and looked over at the corner. Nobody was there.

I felt someone grab my shoulder and it sent shivers down my spine. I turned around and saw the figure standing there, staring into my soul, grinning an evil grin...


	3. Chapter 3: Showdown at the Museum

"Shadow?! What the hell are you doing here?"

"I think you know, Knuckles... where are Sonic and Tails?" his voice was dark and maniacal.

"Right here, Shadow, why have you come?" said Sonic as he and Tails walked in the room. Tails shut the door.

"Well, I have some news regarding the gang"

Shadow the Hedgehog, the most loyal and merciless member of the Robotnic Gang; or at least he was. You see, way back in the day, when the Robotnic Gang was in full force, Shadow was the most feared out of the four Under-bosses. He was a real bad ass, and we could never catch him. However, one night changed everything. It was a frigid winter's night, and we got a call to go to the Old Station Square Bridge. When we got there we saw Shadow standing on one of the rails. We thought we had him cornered. We stood there for what seemed like days, with our weapons pointed strait for Shadow's head. What happened next was so unbelievable, still to this day I wonder if it was a dream. Shadow, the one who killed dozens of innocent people, was surrendering! He said that he was tired of killing for no reason, and that his conscience finally caught up to him. At first I though it was a trap, but Sonic thought differently. He put down his gun and took a step towards him. One of Shadow's underlings set off a bomb that caused a small chunk of the bridge to collapse. Of coarse, Sonic and Shadow had to be on that chunk. The next thing I knew Sonic was holding onto a ledge, he managed to grab Shadow before he fell to his death. Sonic had saved his life.

Shadow vowed that he would never take a life without a good reason, and that he would assist us in taking the R. Gang down. I didn't believe it at first, I mean, it was Shadow the Hedgehog, he was always known for his tricks. As always, Sonic gave him the benefit of the doubt, and he's been a double agent ever since. I guess I have to hand it to Sonic. If it was me, I probably would have just let the bastard fall of the edge. Sonic was never like that, deep down, he was a big softy.

So Shadow still retained his status as an Under-boss, which meant he (and three others) had nobody to answer to except for Eggman. He proved to be a great ally, but it was very strange seeing him after all these years.

"So... t-the gang has resurfaced?" Tails asked, trembling.

"Yes, which is why I'm here to warn you"

"About what?" I was getting more and more nervous.

"There is going to be a heist tonight at the Station Square Museum of Natural History"

I calmed down just a little. I though it was going to be much worse, like they were going to assassinate the Mayor or something.

"So, all these years in hiding, and all they come up with is a heist at the Museum? Lame!"

"Hmph, you don't understand, Sonic. If it were just a heist, I wouldn't have bothered to come... it is what they are going to steal that's the major problem!"

"Oh, what are they gonna steal, a stupid painting or something?"

"...The Chaos Emerald"

"WHAT?!" we all yelled in unison.

"Indeed, that is why I've come to tell you... you have to stop them from getting that Emerald!"

There are seven, just seven. Each emerald is worth more than all of the world's currency put together. There is on at the Museum. It is a golden emerald that shimmers an eerily beautiful light. Legend had it, that it could control electricity, which was a bunch of bull. What wasn't bull, was it's value. I wasn't going to let Eggman have it. Who knows what he would do with all that wealth. I shuddered at the thought.

"I'd better go now, the others are going to wonder where I am. I suggest not being too conspicuous. Don't wear your detective uniform, go as pedestrians. The Museum is holding a celebration there tonight, because it is the 25th year the Emerald has been on display. They are going to attack during that party. Good bye, and good luck!"

and with that, he left.

"That is a really ballsy move, stealing something in front of hundreds of people!"

"Well, Sonic, that will prove more difficult for you and Knuckles"

"How?"

"Well, you can't go shooting up the place with that many civilians! They probably did this on purpose!"

"Well, I guess we'll have to look around that! We have to go to the Museum tonight!"

"Oh, Sonic! That's a great idea, how did you know I wanted to go there tonight?"

Amy and Cream had just walked in the door.

"A-Amy! I... "

"You don't have to say it, you wanted it to be a surprise and I walked in on you guys talking about it. That's why you sent me and Cream downstairs, isn't it?"

"Amy, it might be d-"

"It would be cool if the other's joined us? Oh, Sonic, you have the best ideas!"

Sonic looked at me with a helpless look on his face. I shrugged at him, I didn't know how to handle it.

"Amy... fine! We'll all go to the Museum tonight!"

I looked at him in disbelief. It will be dangerous there, and he's taking his girl on a date? That had to be the dumbest thing he had ever done.

"Why don't you and Cream get ready, and come back here at six-thirty?"

"Okay! Come on, Cream, we have some shopping to do!"

Amy grabbed Cream by the arm and almost dragged her out.

"Sonic, you are putting her in danger!"

"It'll be okay, Knuckles! It will be our cover! And the second there is danger I'll put her somewhere safe!"

"Well, I guess it'll be fine"

"Thank you, Knuckles, if I didn't let her go... well, I'd rather be surrounded by everyone in the Robotnic Gang then piss her off!"

"I hear that! Now... I'm going to bed before we go!"

"Okay, I'll come wake you up when it's time to go!"

"Thank you" I said, heading for the door.

I went downstairs to the fourth-floor, and went into my apartment. I got undressed, and went to sleep.

I woke up to Sonic standing on the bed leaning right over me.

"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty!"

Half awake, I punched him in the face. He flew off the bed and started yelling.

"What was that for?!"

"You scared the hell out of me, dick!"

"Well, sorry, but it's time to get up... it's already six-twenty five"

"What?! Why didn't you wake me up sooner?"

I jumped out of bed and ran for the door.

"Knuckles, wait!"

"What do you want? We need to hurry up and get upstairs!"

"Well, are you just wearing your boxers to the Museum?"

"What?"

I looked down and saw that I was just wearing my boxers. A middle-aged cat lady down the hall was staring straight at me. She winked at me and giggled like a school girl.

"Sorry, lady... I just woke up and I'm in a rush"

"Oh, don't apologize, I don't mind at all!"

The lady was violating me with her eyes, and I felt very uncomfortable. I slowly walked back into my apartment and looked in my closet for some clothes. Sonic looked out in the hallway and saw the lady.

"Tell your friend he can come over whenever if he wants a good time!"

Sonic burst out laughing.

"Okay, lady, will do!"

Sonic shut the door and laughed even harder.

"Freaking cradle-robber! she's like, twice your age! Hahaha!"

"Very funny, Sonic... now let's head out!"

Sonic opened the door, and we headed out (I double checked to see if I had all of my clothes on).

"So long, cutie pie!" yelled the cat lady.

"Oh, God help me" I muttered.

"Come on, Knuckles, your girlfriend was talking to you!"

"Shut up!"

I punched Sonic in the side, but he was still laughing.

"Oh, Sonic! You look so sexy with that tux on!" squealed Amy as we walked through the door.

"Yeah, Sonic! You great, big, hunk of a man!" I said, sarcastically.

He snickered and gave me a shove.

"Okay, let's go we're gonna be late!" Amy yelled.

"Umm, Amy?" Cream said very quietly.

"What?"

"Tails isn't going to the Museum, and I want to keep him company... so you guys go without us!"

I looked over at Tails and his cheeks were ruby red, he was smiling from ear to ear.

"Okay, that's fine... Sonic, let's go! We'll see you two later!"

Before I left I winked at Tails and gave him a thumbs up. He finally asked Cream out, our little fox-boy is all grown up.

The Museum was packed, not a good thing. This would make it very hard to stop whoever Eggman sent to take the Chaos Emerald. Sonic didn't seem too nervous... he was too busy making out with Amy. I do have to admit, I envy their relationship. I wish I had a girl to love and hold onto.

I quickly called Tails.

"We're at the Museum, what do we do now?"

"Just sit tight, stay close to the Emerald!"

"Copy that!"

I had always wanted to say that.

I looked over and saw that I lost Sonic and Amy.

"Great, where did they go now?"

I looked around the room for them, and they were nowhere to be found.

"This is just perfect!"

I walked to the next room and there they were. They were sitting in front of a painting of two hedgehogs kissing on a ship on a starry night. Amy's head was leaning on Sonic's shoulder, and Sonic's arm was wrapped around her.

"Oh, Sonic, they remind me of us!"

"Yeah, except I wouldn't be caught dead on a ship!"

"You and your fear of water!"

I loudly cleared my throat, they both looked at me.

"Sonic, we're supposed to be watching the Chaos Emerald!"

"Sorry, Knuckles, I got side tracked. I was lost in Amy's beautiful eyes"

"Oh, Sonic! You're gonna make me blush!"

"Come on, Sonic!"

"Okay, okay fine! But what are the chances that they will attack in the next five minutes.

It wasn't three seconds after he said that, that an entire wall of the Museum exploded.

It was an awful sight, people were sent flying back. They looked like rag dolls that somebody threw across the room. Some were running around on fire, while others lay on the ground, motionless.

I saw two figures walking through the blaze.

Of coarse it had to be them.

Jet the Hawk and Storm the Albatross. They were both Under-bosses, the same rank as Shadow. Jet was a sick and twisted little birdie. He got a kick out of torturing his victims before he killed them. Storm was extremely strong, and was as dumb as he was ugly; and believe me, he was as ugly as it gets.

They both walked up to the Emerald's case, and Storm broke the glass and took it.

"Shit! There taking the Emerald Sonic! I can't get a good shot either, there are too many people!"

Sonic grabbed Amy and threw he in a supply closet.

"You stay right here where you're safe! Don't you dare move from this spot!"

He slammed the door and locked it.

"You go around back and confront Storm, leave Jet to me!"

Sonic always had a deep hatred for Jet.

"Sounds good, be careful!"

"You too!"

With that, we went our separate ways.

I saw Storm go out of an Emergency Exit. I followed him out. I found myself in a dark alley.

"This doesn't feel right" I thought to myself as I walked down the narrow alley.

I saw Storm at the end of the alley (I'm amazed that he actually fit). Now the idiot was trapped between me and the wall.

I slowely walked up to him, took my gun out of my pocket, and pointed it at his head.

"If you still want your head, I suggest that you put the Chaos Emerald down!"

He jumped in fear and turned around.

"Kn-Knuckles! How the hell did you get here? How did you know?"

"I have my ways! Now, drop the Emerald now!"

"Haha, it looks like I came here just in time!"

That was Jet's voice, I could recognize his high-pitched annoying voice anywhere.

I could feel his gun barely touching my neck.

"You and your stupid partner have been a thorn in my side for far too long. First, I'm gonna splatter your brains all over the wall. Then, I'll be going after that annoying hedgehog and know-it-all fox!"

Well, great. Just freakin', awesome! How was I gonna get out of this jam? I thought I had sung my swan song, when my best friend came to my rescue.

"If you don't drop your gun, you're gonna know what it feels like to be a chicken with its head blown off!"

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Sonic! Nice of you to join the party!"

"Shut up, you freak! Drop your gun, or I swear I'll kill you!"

"I doubt that!" echoed a voice.

"Shadow! What are you doing here? This is our mission, not yours!" yelled Jet.

"Well, it doesn't look like your mission is going very well... so I decided to help!"

I heard a click, then something landed between my feet. It was a metal ball.

The ball started spraying an odd-smelling gas from the top of it.

I started coughing and gagging, I couldn't breathe.

The last thing I remember was I fell to the ground. I looked over, and Sonic was on the ground too, his body motionless...


	4. Chapter 4: Casinopolis

I awoke, the sun was flashing in my eyes. At first I had no memory of what happened. I had the biggest headache in history, I couldn't think strait at all. I couldn't even stand up, when I tried I would just fall back on my butt.

I sat there for what seemed like ages and tried to remember what happened. It eventually came to me in bits and pieces.

Shadow! This was his fault, he betrayed us!

I got so mad I forgot about my headache and ran over to a dumpster and pounded on it. Needless to say it won't be usable anymore.

When I finally calmed down I heard someone mumbling.

"You better give me back my chocolate muffin, or I'll shoot your ass!"

I looked over my shoulder to see Sonic laying there in the corner. I ran over and tried to shake him awake.

"Sonic, wake up!"

"No, it's my muffin! Give it back to me you bastard!"

I shook him again, this time harder.

"Wake up!"

"Shut up, muffin! I'm gonna eat you if you like it or not!"

If I shook him any harder I was going to give him Shaken-Hedgehog Syndrome. I finally stop shaking him and gave him a good smack in the face.

"What the Hell was that for!?"

"You needed to wake up!"

Sonic looked around, very confused about where we were.

"Umm, why are we in an ally?"

"We were trying to get the Emerald back from Jet and Storm, when Shadow showed up and used this strange gas to knock us out!"

"Shadow? No, it couldn't have been him!"

"It was, he helped them get the away Chaos Emerald! I don't think we should trust him anymore!"

"He had to have a good reason to do that!"

"What good reason can there be?"

Sonic thought for a moment.

"Beats me! But I know he's still on our side"

"You are too trusting, it's going to get you killed one day, almost did last night. Now let's get out of here, this place ain't too kosher"

"Amen to that, brother!"

We both got up and started to leave. Sonic stopped dead in his tracks, he had a look of pure terror on his face.

"What's wrong?"

"I-I forgot ab-out A-A-Amy! She's gonna be pissed!"

He turned around and ran towards the Emergency Exit of the Museum. I followed him (I wanted to see Amy's reaction when Sonic opened the closet door).

Just as I walked in the door, my radio started to beep. I picked it up and answered.

"Tails?"

"Knuckles, you're awake! That's great, where's Sonic?"

"Right here, Tails!" Sonic walked over to me.

"Well, it's good to see that you are both OK! Shadow came over here last night to apologize"

"He had better do more than that! We would have taken care of Jet and Storm once and for all if he didn't pull that stunt!"

"Actually, you would both be dead right now if either of you pulled the trigger,"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean there were snipers on the roof that would have blown your head's off if you shot Jet or Storm. So Shadow had to do something to stop you!"

"See, Knuckles? I told you he had a good reason!"

"Shut up, Sonic! He could have found a different way!"

"Shadow also gave me some information about an associate of the R. Gang"

"Go on, Tails"

"He said that she are preforming at the Casinopolis Night Club. Her stage name is Femme Fatale,"

"Hmm, I'll bet it's Wave"

I had to guess Wave, she was the only woman we know of that is in the Robotnic Gang. She was the fourth Under-boss and was the brains of the four. I never took her as much of a performer, though. And she was no "Femme Fatale either. I mean she wasn't bad looking, for a bird, but she wasn't smoking hot, either.

"OK, we'll check it out tonight. Are you coming?"

"Well, actually I've got a date with Cream tonight,"

Sonic and I looked at each other, snickering.

"Tails, you dog! Make sure you two don't have too much fun!"

"What kind of guy do you think I am? I wouldn't do that on the first date, I'm a Gentleman after all! I have to go, I need to decide what I'm going to wear"

"We gotta go too, Sonic needs to get Amy out of a closet"

"I'm not even going to ask"

"I think it's best that you don't, over and out!"

I turned the radio off and put it back in my pocket.

"OK, Sonic, time to free the beast! Haha"

Sonic slugged me in the shoulder.

"Shut up, I had to keep her safe somehow!"

"Yeah, try telling her that!"

We walked over to the janitor's closet.

It was hard not to notice all of the damage that Jet and Storm did to the place. There was debris everywhere, not to mention the missing wall.

"Are you ready for this?" I asked Sonic.

"As ready as I'll ever be,"

He slowely opened the door and looked inside.

"...Amy?"

I heard a couple of hard smacks then I saw Sonic fly backwards and fall on the floor.

"Sonic! Why would you leave me in that closet all night!? I had to sleep on the hard, cold ground with rats crawling all around! You don't treat me like a lady anymore! I have half a mind to leave you!"

Sonic got up and walked to her.

"Amy I-" He was interrupted by another smack to the face.

"I'm sorry for locking you in the closet, but it was safer in there then out here!"

"I don't want to listen to you anymore! You had better come up with a good way of making it up to me!"

"I will!"

"Well? Let's hear it!"

"Umm, how would you like to go to Casinopolis tonight?"

Great, he just invited her on another case. He sure puts her in danger alot.

"Really? Do you promise there won't be any interruptions?"

"Sure, I promise there will be no interruptions"

"Ok, but this is your last chance mister! I'm gonna go home and take a long, hot bath; That closet made me filthy! What time are you picking me up?"

"We'll drop by at 7:30, is that OK?"

"That's perfect! See you then," Amy ran off towards the front entrance.

"Well, that went better than I thought!"

"Sonic! You need to quit inviting her to places when we're on the lookout!"

"Don't worry, it won't be like last night... there isn't gonna be a heist. We're just gonna instigate that Femme Fatale chick"

We were walking out of the Museum when a legion of news reporters surrounded us.

"Detective Knuckles, why did you let the Robotnic Gang get away?"

"What? We didn't mean to-"

"Is it because you are getting too weak and gullible for this job?"

"What did you say!? I'm gonna-"

Sonic interrupted me.

"We have no comment, except that we do have a lead in the case, and we are going to investigate it tonight!" Sonic yelled. He then grabbed my hand and we darted off.

We were sprinting down the street, but the reporters didn't stop.

We finally made it to my apartment. I locked my door and collapsed on a chair.

"My freakin head! Damn news reporters!"

Sonic was looking out the window.

"They are just waiting out side! I wounder how long they are gonna stay out there?"

I picked up the remote and turned on the TV.

"We are outside Detective Sonic and Detective Knuckle's apartment building waiting for information about the recent theft of the Chaos Emerald. Apparently, it was the work of the infamous Robotnic Gang. Obviously the team of Detectives are losing their touch!"

I was so mad I couldn't see straight. Why were the reporters always on our ass about everything? I just hoped they didn't follow us to Casinopolis.

Luckily, they were all gone by 7:00. I was ready to get the night over with. I still had a pounding headache and just wanted to go to bed. But when duty calls I have to answer.

I looked through my closet for something to wear. It was Casinopolis, so I knew I didn't have to wear anything flashy. I picked out a pair of jeans that were ripped at the knee and a black tee-shirt.

Sonic walked into my apartment (the boy never knocks).

"Hey, do I look too thuggish?"

"Nah, you look fine! We have to hurry and get Amy of she'll have a cow!"

"Fine, let's head out,"

I walked over to my dresser and got an Aspirin and took it. God I wanted my headache to stop, and if we were late, Amy would make it worse.

We reached Amy's house at 7:34, hopefully she wouldn't be too mad. Sonic knocked on the door.

"Hold on, I'll be right out!" Amy yelled from the second floor.

"Dang, women take forever!" Sonic complained.

I was in total agreement. Since I've known Amy, she never has never ceased to take an hour and a half to get all of her clothes, makeup, and jewelry on.

Finally Amy opened the door, and Sonic's jaw dropped to the ground.

Amy did look very pretty that night. She was wearing the dress she wore to prom (I guess it was Sonic's favorite sine it showed her curves).

"How do I look, Sonic?"

"You are looking hot! But now I feel a little under dressed"

Sonic was wearing a wife beater and a pair of worn out jeans.

"I think it makes you look sexy, you can see all of your muscles!"

Sonic's cheeks turned bright red. I guess he gets embarrassed when Amy compliments him.

He gave her a quick kiss on the lips and we started walking. This was one of the times where I truly envied their relationship. I have never had the opportunity to get in a serious relationship. I mean sure, I dated in High school and College, but they were never serious. The girls were always fake and ditsy; and apparently all they wanted was to get in my pants! I prayed one day soon that would change, and I would find a girl that would love me, not lust after me. I needed someone to comfort when she was down, to take midnight walks on the beach with, to watch the sun set in Emerald Park, to snuggle next to close to the fire. Was that too hard to ask?

Casinopolis was a very bright and active part of Station Square. All of the neon lights and the excitement made you feel like a kid running around the fair.

Surprisingly, Casinopolis had the lowest crime-rate in the City. Apparently we had honest gamblers here.

We walked to the far end of Casinopolis to the Chaos Chao Night Club.

"Sonic, it's so beautiful here isn't it?"

Sonic stared into Amy's eyes with a passionate flame in his eyes.

"Yeah, sure is..."

The club was packed! I didn't know it could fit that many people. Luckily, Tails reserved a table for us before he went out with Cream. We actually got front row seats!

A very odd thing I noticed when walking up to our table, almost all the people here were men. Normally, the club was full of both men and women.

We sat at our table, we were so close to the stage that you could touch it.

While we sat down, there was a comedian just finishing his act.

"Well, thanks for having me here! I can see I did my job in putting half of the audience to sleep! Now, the next act is probably why most of you came out here tonight, let me introduce you to... Femme Fatale!"

The comedian went back stage and the curtain fell. Then this kind of exotic jazz music started playing. The people behind me were going extatic. The curtain started to rise. I soon realized why the crowd was getting so rowdy (and why most of them were men).

The curtain opened to reveal, not Wave, but a seductive Siren.

She was gorgeous! The woman dancing on that stage was a bat-girl with the perfect body and beautiful face. The purple dress she was wearing showed every curve of her body. I felt like a teenager who couldn't control his hormones. I could feel the drool drip down my face. What was worse for me was she started to sing. She really was a Siren, her voice was as beautiful as she was.

"Tap the rhythm against the floor, to look for another door"

She went over to the wall and slid down it.

"I am slipping, to the mysteries of the night!"

She then stepped off stage and started walking towards our table.

"I know there is an easy way, but it's my choice anyway! Don't let me waist my life in futile thinking anymore! Fated not to be tamed"

It was then when she bent down and got so close to me we almost kissed.

"Watch me I never will lean upon you"

Then she pushed away from me. I just sat there, frozen. I couldn't move my body at all.

"I can go, by my self, fly in the freedom"

Soon the words all jumbled together and all that existed in my mind was that bat-girl. I stared at her as she walked seductively back on stage. The curtain slowely fell and she disappeared. I still couldn't move, just the though of that bat girl sent shivers down my spine.

"Knuckles!" Sonic yelled, snapping his fingers.

"Huh? What?"

"Snap out of it, buddy! We need to go see if we can interrogate her!"

"Oh... right I forgot!"

The three of us got up from the table and quickly got outside.

"Ooohhh! Who does that girl think she is? That was totally inappropriate! Her dress was way too tight, her boobs were almost completely hanging out for peat's sake!"

"Calm down, Amy! She was just a performer,"

"Performer? Please, she was a hussy! I can't believe a woman would stoop so low as to wear something like that! You agree with me, right Knuckles?"

"Huh? Oh, right, sure Amy..."

"You alright, Knuckles?"

"Yeah, Sonic, I'm fine! It's just my headache is coming back.

I was of coarse lying through my teeth. I couldn't get that bat girl out of my head.

We walked pass an alley, and I heard some voices; both sounded familiar. I turned back and walked down the alley and hid behind a dumpster. It was exactly who I thought it was.

"Knuckles, what are you doing?" Sonic yelled.

"Sshh! Come here," I whispered.

He rolled his eyes as he and Amy went behind the dumpster too.

"I'm not one of those poor girls you scare into being one of your whores, Storm! Don't you dare disrespect me, you don't have any control over me!"

"Do you want me to hurt you? You never back talk me, little lady!"

It was Storm and that bat girl! He was harassing her; the one thing that pisses me off the most is when a girl is getting harassed.

Storm picked her up by the neck. I was so mad, I didn't realize what I was doing. I ran over to Storm and threw him on the ground. I guess I shouldn't have done that, because the bat girl fell too.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You have to scare women to get in the mood or something?!"

"Kn-Knuckles! How are you here? You're supposed to be dead, that gas was supposed to kill you!"

I grabbed him by the neck just like he did to her.

"Well, I'm not that easy to get rid of! Now get out of here and leave this girl alone!"

"Ha! Why don't you make me?"

He shouldn't have said that. I used full force and punched him square in the face. He flew back and hit his head on the brick wall. To my surprise, he got up.

He lunged towards me and tackled me to the ground. My adrenalin was so high I didn't feel the impact, I just kicked him off of me and jumped on top of him.

I just kept punching his face until I heard Amy.

"Knuckles, stop! You're scaring me!"

I stopped bashing Storm's head in and saw Amy hiding her face in Sonic's chest.

I got up and apologized to Amy, then picked Storm up by the neck again.

"Now, you had better start treating women a little better, or next time I'll completely rearrange your face!"

I threw him and he hit the wall again.

He slowly got up and walked down the alley.

"You'll pay for this, I promise you that!"

I walked over to the bat girl and held out my hand to help her up.

She smacked my hand an got up herself.

"I didn't asked for your help, nor did I need it!"

"I'm sorry, lady, it's just that-"

"It's just that you thought I was one of those women who would fall in your arm an call you my hero! I'm not that easy, bub!"

"It's not like that at all!"

"Don't you lie to me! All you men are the same!"

She started walking down the alleyway.

I felt like scum, I got yelled at by the girl that I saved. Talk about humiliation! I walked back towards Amy and Sonic.

"Knuckles?"

"I don't want to talk, Sonic. I'm going home, you and Amy have fun for the rest of the night. I'm going to take a long, hot shower and going to bed,"

Sonic looked at me with great concern, but at the moment I didn't care. I just walked passed them and headed home.

When I got to my apartment I slammed the door. I was so mad and confused that tears started pouring down my face. I really didn't know the exact reason why I was mad or crying. Perhaps it was the beautiful girl I saved bitched me out, that had to be it. I went in the bathroom, got undressed, and got in the shower. I guess Storm messed me up a little bit. There were scrapes on my elbows and knees. I could also feel some scratches on my face.

I stood there in the shower, letting the hot water fall on my aching body. Maybe it would warm up my heart, too...


	5. Chapter 5: Femme Fatale

NOTE: this Chapter is narrated my Rouge. It was written by my cousin, Leah Crego

Chapter 5: Femme Fatale

"That stupid Echidna!" I yelled as I was walking down the back streets of Casinopolis. Now I was going to be in trouble with Eggman! I was getting more and more nervous as I approached Eggman's house. It was the weirdest house in the whole city. On the outside, it was a dump. The bricks were cracking, there was graffiti all over the walls; talk about low class! The inside was different. A three-million dollar chandelier was hanging in the foyer. A grand staircase made out of mahogany went to the second story, works of art worth millions of dollars were placed throughout the house. I guess Eggman didn't want to be conspicuous about his fortune on the outside.  
I walked up the broken stone steps to the condemned looking house and knocked on the door. The slit on the door opened and I saw the robot doorman's eye.  
"Password!" screeched the robot.  
"Shut up and let me in, it's Rouge!"  
"Access denied! Please give correct password or you will be terminated!"  
"I would like to see you try you piece of crap!"  
"Access denied, this is your last chance! Give correct password or be terminated!"  
"Fine! It's 'Eggman is the coolest, smartest guy in the History of the world'"  
"Access, granted!" yelled the annoying robot as the door swung open.  
"I swear, I gag every time I have to say that damn password, tell your master to change it already!"  
"Does not compute!"  
"Of course it doesn't, now where is Eggman?"  
"He is down in the conference room talking to his under-bosses, do not disturb him!"  
"Oh, he'll be expecting me! I have a thing or two to tell him about his little horny chicken named Storm!"

"Ah, Rouge! Welcome back, I assume your mission was fruitful?" said Eggman in his faux polite voice.  
"It would have been, if Storm would have stayed on his side! He tried to get fresh with me!"  
"Tsk, tsk Rouge! I gave you one mission, all you had to do was break into the Station Square Jewelers after your little performance. You just had to steal six diamonds! Is that too much to ask? Besides, you know Storm, he was only teasing you!"  
"Well, all of that 'teasing' caught some unwanted attention from that Echidna- boy!"  
When I said that, Eggman's face turned red with anger.  
"What Echidna-boy?" Eggman said, clenching his teeth.  
"Storm didn't tell you? Oh, I get it! He was so embarrassed that he got the shit beat out of him that he didn't tell you!"  
"Shut the hell up, bat-lady! I would have taken him down if he didn't take me by surprise!"  
"A loaf of bread would be able to take you by surprise, you halfwit!"  
"I'm warning you, bitch! One more word out of you and I'll-"  
"Shut up, both of you! I need to think!" Eggman blew his casket.  
"Rouge, what did this echidna look like?"  
"He was thin, muscular, and gorgeous in a very annoying kind of way. He had red fur and dreadlocks!" Oh my God, I was rambling about that stupid Echidna!  
Eggman quickly took his eyes off of me and glared at Shadow.  
"You told me he was dead! You said that the gas I paid a small fortune for would kill him and that vile hedgehog!"  
"I said it could kill them. There were factors that weren't in the original scenario. We were outside, the gas was diluted by the oxygen. It did knock them out long enough to escape with the emerald."  
"True, I guess I must commend you for that. But how are we going to deal with the Station Square Detective Agency?"  
"That's a hard one, Eggman!" said a high-pitched voice.  
We all turned around and saw Wave standing in the doorway.  
Wave the swallow, an Underboss in the R. Gang. She was in charge of the weapons manufacturing when Eggman was out on business. She was very smart, and very maniacal. Her sociopathic qualities and intelligence allowed her to become an underboss despite the fact that she was a woman. I can tell that Storm hates it, because a woman holds an equal position as he does. I do admire her to some extent, she doesn't take lip from anyone (she even yells at Eggman if she's in a bad enough mood).  
"Wave, nice of you to join us!" Eggman said excitedly.  
"Yeah, yeah! I had to take a break from operation Thunderbird, so I decided to see what was going on down here"  
"We were just talking about how to get rid of the three thorns in my side that make up that stupid Detective Agency!"  
"Well, Eggman… it seems impossible to beat them. They seem to dodge every curve you throw at them!"  
"Wait… that's it! Wave, you are almost as much of a genius as I am!"  
"I would like to think I'm more of a genius than you. Wait, what did I say?"  
"You said they dodge every curve we throw at them, right?"  
"Yes, but is that genius worthy? I simply stated a fact!"  
"All this time, I didn't think of this. It's been in front of me this whole time!"  
"Spit it out, already! I have to get back upstairs!"  
"We haven't been throwing the right kind of curves at them! Mwahaha! I am the smartest person in History!"  
Eggman was never the modest type, as you can see.  
"I don't understand…"  
"Basic Biology, dear Wave. The 'curves' we will throw now are the curves of a beautiful woman!"  
"Me? Eggman, I can't, I have work to do!"  
"Not you, silly girl! You aren't the right type of woman!"  
Eggman stared at me as he said that. I started to understand what he was saying.  
"Absolutely no way in hell!"  
"Rouge, you are the perfect person to do it! If Knuckles came to your rescue like you said he did, he obviously had feelings for you! Use those feelings against him!"  
"I am not some cheap whore, Eggman! I'm not doing it!"  
"If you do this, I will give you the Chaos Emerald after we're done with it!"  
My heart skipped a beat. If I had that Chaos Emerald, it could mean good-bye slums and hello richville!  
"What would I have to do" I asked, hoping not to get too thorough of an answer.  
"Just use that feminine charm to get answers out of him! Haven't you read the Story of Samson and Delilah? Find his weakness. We need to find his theoretical long hair and clip it!"  
"Alright, I'll go! But this is the last time I do something like this!"  
"It's a deal! There is a walk-in closet on the third floor with some nice outfits. Pick the one that you feel would get the job done. You have heard your mission, you may now begin!"  
"Great!" I yelled trying to hide my anger as I headed out of the door.

I was having second thoughts as I was walking down the dark streets of Station Square; the biggest reason was the outfit Eggma-… I mean, I picked out. It was so short and constricting that I thought the whole world could see my everythings! I wanted to wear something classy, but of course Eggman picked the most whorish outfit out. To top it all off, it was really cold out!  
I finally made it to the address Shadow gave me. I didn't believe it, the place looked run down! Why can't Eggman just come here himself and finish them off? Oh well… his loss, I'll have the Chaos Emerald all to myself once they are done using it. I walked up to the building almost skipping I was so excited about the emerald. I was almost up the steps when someone stopped me.  
"Hey, dollface!"  
I turned around to see who dared to call me that. It was a very burly (but very ugly) Doberman thug.  
"Excuse me? You better watch yourself before you get yourself hospitalized!" I yelled.  
Sometimes I speak before I think; but I am a strong independent woman damn it!  
"Watch it, lady! Either you give me your purse or I'll give you a ride you'll never forget!"  
"How about I give you a face lift?"  
He walked up to me and grabbed my $600 purse… big mistake! I roundhouse kicked him square in the face and he flew down the concrete steps.  
"Don't you ever touch a lady's purse, crater face!"  
"You bitch! You'll pay for this!" he yelled as he ran down an alleyway, tail between his legs.  
I brushed myself off and walked in the door, proud of myself for defending the honor of women everywhere.

Of course, I had to climb 400 flights of stairs in high heels! I knew I was a hot mess by the time I got up to his floor. I was out of breath, my feet hurt like none other, and I was still freezing from wearing nothing more than the purple sheet Eggman called a dress! I thought that my whole mission would be ruined, all I had to do was seduce a man into telling me his deepest and darkest secrets; I've done that many times before. This time though, something felt different.  
Shadow told me he was in room 6. I walked down the hall until I reached his room. I started to knock, but the door opened on its own. I looked and saw that the door frame was broken, like somebody slammed it with great force. I casually walked into the apartment. It looked like a typical man's place, a pigsty! There were clothes placed in random places, unwashed dishes in the sink, and there was the most cluttered desk I'd ever seen. One thing I didn't see, was the Echidna.  
"Hello?" I yelled. No answer.  
"Hello? Is anyone ho-" I tripped on a misplaced boot before I could finish my sentence.  
I quickly got up and brushed myself off. I was sooo glad nobody was in the room; that would have been totally embarrassing!  
"Hey, what are you doing in here?"  
Damn! He totally saw me fall! I turned around to speak to him; but when I saw him, my jaw dropped.  
He stood there, dripping wet with nothing but a towel around his waist. He was a perfect specimen of a man! Strong arms, perfect chest muscles, a very handsome masculine face. I guess I missed all of that back in the dark alley.  
"I-I-I…"  
Oh my God, I couldn't speak! That had never happened to me, I always had that effect on men! I remembered what was at stake, so I mentally slapped myself in the face.  
"I just realized how badly I acted back at the alley, and wanted to properly thank you!"  
"Can't you knock? I almost broke my neck jumping out of the shower! I heard someone yelling, and thought it was a robber or something!"  
"Well, the door was broken, so I let myself in. Don't worry, I'll make it up to you.  
I promiscuously walked over to him and pushed him on the couch. I had him! He was looking at me with those lustful eyes. I started to get on top of him (He smelled so good I could have died). He seemed to be in conflict with himself as I drew closer to him, his eyes were staring off into space for several seconds. He looked at me once again, and threw me off.  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa little lady! I'm not that kind of guy!"  
"Oh my Goodness, you're gay aren't you?" Of course, all of the gorgeous men are!  
"No, I'm not gay! I'm just old-fashioned. I need to know a girl well enough on an emotional level to do that kind of stuff. Or at the very least know her name!"  
For some reason, I took offense to that. I thought he didn't like the way I looked.  
"Well, if you think you're too good for me I'm leaving!" I yelled as I stormed out of his apartment.  
"Wait a minute!" I heard him yell as I reached the stairway.  
"Get bent!" I screamed back.  
I stomped down the stairs and muttered profane words until I reached the building's front door. I angrily opened it and slammed it hard.  
"Who does he think he is? He is missing out on the best girl in the city! He is such a jerk!" I was screaming it to the world.  
Out of nowhere somebody grabbed me and pinned me against the building wall.  
"Hey dollface, remember me?"  
It was the Doberman I beat down earlier that night, and he had company. There were four other Dobermans behind him.  
I kicked the bastard off of me.  
"So you think you scare me now? You get beat up by a woman and you bring four of your friends? Real tough, crater face!"  
He was so pissed off at my comment, that he threw me to the ground.  
"Don't worry, we'll go real slow!" the Doberman whispered in my ear. The other four pinned me down.

I felt helpless, I thought I was done for. I closed my eyes and waited.  
"Get the hell off of her!"  
I opened my eyes and looked around, it was the Echidna! He ran towards us and punched the leader Doberman in the jaw.  
"Lay another paw on her, I dare you!"  
The Doberman leader got up off of the ground and got in Echidna-boy's face. That's when he got his gun out and pointed it at old crater face.  
"I suggest you and your mangy-ass groupies go smell each other up somewhere, or I'll shoot you where it hurts!"  
Crater face backed up, and called his gang off of me.  
"This isn't over, not by a long shot!"  
They walked away in shame and defeat.  
"Let me help you up…" he said in a soft voice.  
He looked like he was in a hurry to get dressed, because all he had on was a pair of pants.  
"No, I can get up myself!" I yelled as I pushed him away.  
"You were following me! Are you stalking me now?"  
"No, bat-girl! You left your purse in my apartment when you stormed out for no reason! First you yell at me for saving you back in the alley, then you try to apologize by trying to seduce me, then you yell at me, and now you are bitching about me saving you… you need your head examined!"  
I felt really dumb; he came out to give me my purse, and I accused him of stalking me.  
"Well, thank you!" I said, quickly snatching my purse out of his hand and started to walk away.  
"You're welcome!" He yelled angrily.  
I turned around and saw him walking back to his building. I couldn't understand him, he was different than every other man I had met. Was it just an act, though? In my experience, men act sweet so they can manipulate you into going to bed with them. Somehow he seemed genuine, though.

"Well? Did you learn anything?" Eggman asked eagerly.  
"No, he didn't fall for it!"  
"What? What do you mean? Did you not try hard enough or something? Speak, bat-girl!"  
"I tried as hard as I could! He didn't want to do have sex!"  
"How could that be? Is he gay or something? We have been thwarted by a gay detective all these years!"  
"No, I don't think he's gay. Apparently, he has to get to know the girl before doing the nasty"  
"Well then, I guess you'll be that girl!"  
"What? Absolutely not! You agreed that I wouldn't have to do anything like that again!"  
"You didn't succeed in your mission, Rouge! If you don't do this, no Chaos Emerald.  
"…Fine, I'll do it. But I'm not dressing up as a cheap slut this time!"  
"Agreed, now, get a good night's sleep. You need to be looking your best tomorrow!"

Strangely I felt happy about going on this mission, and not because of the Chaos Emerald. I felt something warm inside me, it was a new sensation...


	6. Chapter 6: Date?

I truly didn't want to get out of bed, given what happened with the bat girl the previous night. I just wanted to sleep my life away. I was so confused; first she acted like she wanted me, then she acted like she hated me, then she just up and left. Are all women that complicated?  
I was trying to ignore the fact that it was noon, but I got a knock on the door. I tried to zone it out, but the door wouldn't stop knocking. I finally sprung out of bed, marched over to the door, and threw it open.  
"WHAT?" I yelled, thinking it was Sonic.  
It wasn't him though, it was the person that caused the worse night in my life. It was the bat girl.  
"Oh, it's you. Did you come back to bash the remainder of my self-esteem?"  
I slowly shut the door, and walked over to my closet. I heard the bat girl open the door again.  
"I came to apologize, for real this time"  
"What are you gonna do now, tie me up and gag me? If last night was a false apology, I don't want to see what you do when you mean it" I said as I threw a tee-shirt on.  
"That's what I wanted to apologize for…"  
I turned around to face her.  
"What do you mean?"  
"I misjudged you, I thought you were like every other guy on the streets. I judged you before I even got to know you!"  
Her beautiful iceberg eyes were starting to tear up. I walked up to her and put my hand on her shoulder.  
"It's okay, you don't have to get upset. I don't know your life story, but I'm going to guess you've never been around a half-decent guy"  
"…Rouge" she muttered.  
"What?"  
"My name is Rouge. You said last night you like to know the names of women before you-"  
"Whoa, I need way more than a name before I do that kind of stuff! I need to know and trust the girl completely before I-"  
"I know, echidna boy, I know! I just figured you should know my name before you asked me out on a date!"  
"How do you know I would have asked you out?" I asked sarcastically. She didn't seem to get my joke.  
"Oh… okay then. I'm sorry I took up your time" she started to walk out the door.  
"Wait!"  
She turned around and looked at me, her iceberg eyes peering into my soul.  
"Would you like to go out sometime?"  
Her frown quickly turned into a smile that an Archangel couldn't compete with.  
"Do you mean it? You're not just saying that to be nice?"  
"You kidding? I would be the luckiest man in the world to get a date with a first-rate beauty like yourself!"  
Her cheeks turned as red as me when I said that, it made me want to pass out she was so beautiful.  
She got out a piece of paper and a purple pen from her purse and wrote something down.  
"This is my address, see you at Eight o'clock?"  
"You bet, See you tonight!"  
"See you then, echidna boy"  
"Knuckles" I blurted out like a total dork.  
"Cute name for a cute guy; see ya around, Knuckles.."  
She turned away and started walking down the hall; the way she said my name made me weak in the knees.  
Just as Rouge was just out of sight, Sonic came in the room.  
"Way to go, Knuckles!" he said, giving me a congratulatory punch in the arm.  
"What do you mean?" I said, innocently.  
"What I mean is that gorgeous bat lady I saw leaving your room!"  
I could feel my face getting red hot.  
"So, do you know where you're taking her?"  
"How did you know I asked her out?"  
"I can tell by the look on your face, you never smile this much!"  
Was it really that obvious?  
"I don't know where I'm taking her, probably just to the Station Square Diner"  
"Don't you dare, Knuckles!"  
"What's wrong with that place? We go there all the time!"  
"But this is a special occasion with a special lady, take her someplace that will impress her! Let her know you're 'Mr. exciting'!"  
"Where would you suggest I take her?"  
"Well, Amy and I went to the Emerald Coast Steakhouse way back in high school. You should take her there, it's a five-star restaurant right on the beach. She'll love it, Amy sure did!"  
"That sounds good, thank you for the suggestion"  
"No prob, Knux! Oh, yeah… I forgot to tell you the reason I came down here…"  
"What is it?"  
"Shadow is upstairs in Tails' lab, he says it's important"  
Perfect, just what I need to ruin a good day!

"What took you guys so long, Sonic?"  
"Sorry, Tails. Knuckles and I needed to talk"  
"Whatever you say… Shadow has something to tell you guys, go ahead, Shadow"  
"Well, all of you know that Eggman has one of the Chaos Emeralds"  
"That you helped steal!" I interrupted.  
"…Right. Anyway, I finally found out what he's using it for!"  
He took a long pause; Tails, Sonic and I were waiting in suspense.  
"For God's sake, spit it out already!" I yelled impatiently.  
"I'm sorry! It's just that you probably won't believe me, and I don't want to be caught giving you information! Eggman seems suspicious of me lately"  
"You are not going to switch back to being a bad guy! Don't forget, I saved your life… I'm not losing one of my friends to the R. Gang! Spit it out, Shadow!" Sonic yelled.  
"Fine, he's using the emerald to create a huge city-wide blackout! He's going to put the city's power up for ransom. If the mayor doesn't give the city over to Eggman, he's not going to return the power back to the city."  
"Haha, that's ridiculous! Does Eggman really believe that legend about the Chaos Emeralds? He's a man of science, I didn't know he believed in fairy tales!"  
"Tails, I've seen what the Chaos Emerald can do. The yellow emerald can indeed control electricity, including machinery! Science can't explain everything, the Chaos Emeralds do seem to hold some hidden power, or at least this one does."  
"Whatever, I still don't believe you! I would have to see it to believe it. When is this blackout supposed to happen?"  
"That's the good news, the mission has been temporarily halted. The machine that will be used to cause the blackout needs six large diamonds to work."  
"If the yellow Chaos Emerald is as powerful as you say, why would it need diamonds to work?"  
"The emerald is too powerful, the diamonds will help filter out some of its extraordinary power. If we used it right now without the diamonds; the machine would explode, taking the whole city with it! Eggman needs a city to control. If there was no city, there would be no point!"  
"Right… so what do you want us to do?" I asked, feeling a headache coming on.  
"Nothing yet. I don't know Eggman's next plan of action, it would be foolish to come up with a counter attack before knowing what you're up against! I just wanted to give you a heads up, I'll be back when I learn more!"  
With that, he was gone.  
"Eh, whatever; we have more important business to attend to right now!"  
"What's that, Sonic?" Tails asked, with a confused look on his face.  
"Knuckles has a date tonight!"  
"No freaking way!"  
"Yes freaking way, with the bat girl from Casinopolis!"  
"Wait a minute! She's tied to the Robotnic Gang somehow! You can't go on dates with the enemy!"  
"She's not one of them! She's a broken woman that needs to be mended into the masterpiece she's meant to be! I can feel it, she's not part of the gang!"  
"Well, she knows them somehow. On your date, casually bring it up"  
"Tails, how do I 'casually' bring something like that up? 'Hey, isn't it a beautiful night out? You know, I heard the wine was awesome here. Oh, by the way; are you in cahoots with the most dangerous gang in the nation?' Yes, that would be a good conversation to have!"  
"Knuckles, I know you like this girl! but you have to find out what she knows, or who she really is!"  
"Alright, I'll see if I can subtly ask the question while we eat desert or something!"  
Sonic impatiently looked at his watch.  
"Tails, Knuckles and I have to go. Lord knows it's been a looong time since he had a date, and I'm gonna make sure he knows what he's doing!"  
"Hey!" I yelled (although, he was right).  
"Okay, go on ahead. Just don't forget about asking her!"  
"He won't, now let's go!"  
Sonic grabbed my arm and practically drug me out of the room.

Sonic forced me to go to the Station Square mall to get some new clothes. I hate new clothes, they felt weird and they had a strange smell to them.  
"Sonic, I don't know why you dragged me here, I have plenty of clothes at my place!"  
"Yeah, but you need to find yourself a nice tux! Amy said a man is judged by what he wears on a first date. Do you want her to think you're some kind of rube?"  
"…nooo" I said, sounding a bit too childish.  
"Didn't think so! Hey, how about this one?"  
He pulled a tuxedo out of the rack. It was pink with a bunch of frilly ruffles.  
"You're kidding me, right? Do I look gay to you?"  
"Well, I didn't want to say anything, but…"  
I playfully punched him in the arm (a little harder than I meant to).  
"Ow! It was a joke, damn!"  
He put the effeminate tux back on the rack, and picked out another one.  
"How about this one? In all seriousness, this one fits you perfectly.  
He was right, it did look just right. It was plain, but it had some class to it. It looked like a tux 007 would wear. I went into the changing room and tried it on. Sweet, It fit perfectly too! I went out and showed Sonic.  
"Whooo, hey there; sexy!" Sonic teased.  
A group of people near the dressing room were staring at him, but he didn't care. He always jokes around without thinking of the outcome.  
"So, do you really like it? Do you think Rouge will like it?"  
"she'll be all over you! Now change back into your street clothes and buy that sucker, so we can move on to gifts!"  
"What do you mean?"  
"Amy says that on a first date, you should impress the girl with some kind of gift"  
"Oh, okay"  
I guess I was more out of the game than I thought. I went back into the dressing room and put my other clothes back on. Then, we went to buy the tux. I guess I forgot to check the price tag, cuz DAMN it was more expensive than I thought!  
"The total comes to $1,365.86"  
"Are you kidding me? That's absolutely ridiculous! Does the thing also massage your feet? Dang!"  
"Don't worry, Knuckles! I have Tails' emergency credit card! He gave it to me after I saved him from that shootout 2 years ago. He owes me, we'll just use it!"  
"I don't think you're allowed to use another person's credit card without the owner present!"  
"I don't care, money is money!" said the apparently greedy cashier.  
Sonic handed the card to the cashier and paid for the tux. I felt kind of bad that we used Tails' well-earned money. He does make three times more than Sonic and me combined though, so maybe I shouldn't have felt TOO bad about it.  
We left the shop and headed for another store in the mall. It was a jewelry store; apparently Sonic wanted Tails and me to go bankrupt.  
"What's wrong with chocolates or something? Do I have to get her jewelry, it's too pricy!"  
"Amy says the way to a woman's heart is through their lust for shiny, expensive things"  
"Well, Amy is insane!" I yelled.  
I looked around the store for something in my budget. I almost gave up, when something caught my eye. It was a jewel-encrusted golden rose. It glimmered in the light; it had small rubies, sapphires and emeralds all around it. Rouge would love it! But it looked like it would cost a fortune.  
The purple hedgehog jeweler apparently saw me staring at it, because she walked right up to me.  
"You have an eye for beauty, would you like to purchase it?"  
"What? No, I couldn't… The price tag says it's $45,000! I definitely don't have that kind of money…"  
"You've found yourself a special girl, haven't you?" she asked in a soft voice.  
"How did you know that?"  
"Woman's intuition. Your face is glowing like a firefly on an August night. I'll tell you what, I'll give you a special discount for the golden rose. Only $250 if you act right now!"  
"What? How can you deduct the price that much?"  
"I made that rose myself. Hand crafted, with jewels imported from all over the world. A true masterpiece, I spent 3 years of my life working on it"  
"Then why do you want to sell it so cheap?" I asked, very confused.  
"I would rather it be given with true love than just sit there collecting dust. My boss told me to sell it for $45,000, but now I'm changing my mind"  
"Okay, I'll do it!"  
"Wonderful! There is one catch though"  
"Great, what's that?"  
"Let me do some finishing touches, you can come back tomorrow and pay for it then"  
"Well, my date is tonight…"  
"If she cares about you half as much as I can tell you care about her, there will be many dates to come! Now, shoo! I have a lot of work to do!"  
I grabbed Sonic and we left the store.

We rushed back home, I only had an hour to get ready! I hopped in the shower, combed my hair, put on cologne, and got my tux on as fast as humanly possible. I was out of breath!  
I ran down the stairs and headed to my car. I fished the piece of paper with Rouge's address from my pocket. She was on the other side of town, and I only had 5 minutes to get there!  
I broke at least half a dozen traffic laws, but I made it on time. I got out of the car, and headed to the front door.  
She didn't have a terrible house, but it wasn't what I expected. I t was a one-story stone house with a good-sized yard. I expected a girl as classy as Rouge to live in a million dollar mansion, but I guess I shouldn't judge.  
I knocked on the door, and waited a few seconds. I could hear her footsteps getting closer to the door. I was getting butterflies in my stomach.  
She opened the door, and my heart skipped a beat. She looked so beautiful they should make up a new word just for her. She was wearing a long purple dress (that actually fit her), and she wasn't wearing much makeup. Honestly, she looked much more beautiful the way she really was.  
"Care to accompany me, my lady?"  
I held out my hand for her and she grabbed It; that sent shivers down my spine.  
"Why, yes I would! Where are we going, fine sir?"  
"It's a surprise!"  
"I really do love surprises; the good ones at any rate"  
I opened the passenger door for her, and she got in. I closed it and got on the driver's side. I started up the car, and away we went.


	7. Chapter 7: Under the Stars

Dang, Emerald Coast Steakhouse was fancy! Even as I pulled into the parking lot I could just feel how fancy it was. I parked the car (mine looked like crap compared to all of the others), got out, and helped the fair lady out of the vehicle.  
"Wow, this place is nice! Nobody has ever taken me to a place like this before… you're very sweet, Knuckles!"  
I could feel myself starting to blush, I hope she didn't notice.  
"Really? I would have thought the opposite, you are a very classy woman. You seem to have high standards"  
When I said that, she burst out laughing.  
"Haha, me? No way… I haven't been out with a decent guy since my dad took me to the fair when I was eight!"  
I didn't understand why that was funny, it sounded very sad to me. She must have no self-esteem, which didn't make sense because of her beauty and charm.  
I opened the giant stain-glass door for her, she giggled and walked in. I followed her into the restaurant, and my jaw dropped. It was like being in a palace! There were expensive paintings on every wall, glimmering chandeliers on the ceiling, and classical music playing in the background.  
I guess I was so fixated on the scenery, that I completely ignored the manager of the restaurant, who was apparently working the front desk. Rouge elbowed me in the side to get my attention.  
"Huh?"  
"The waiter is talking to you, get your head out of the clouds, silly!"  
"Do you have a reservation?" asked the manager.  
"No, I don't think so…"  
"Then the wait will be 6 hours, give or take"  
"That is ridiculous! How do you expect us to wait that long?"  
"I don't, I figured you would just leave and go someplace else!"  
"Why you little!"  
I was about to punch the waiter in the face, but Rouge stopped me.  
"Knuckles, wait! We can go someplace else, it's okay!"  
"Wait, you're Knuckles?" asked the manager, hiding behind the front desk.  
"Yeah, what's it to you?"  
"A Mr. Sonic made reservations for you this morning; he said that you would have forgotten to!"  
"Thanks for the life saver, Sonic… I owe you big time!" I thought to myself.  
"Please follow me" the manager said, grabbing two menus.  
We followed him through the restaurant. It was even more extravagant than it looked from the foyer. There was a domed ceiling with a giant stain glass window of an Angel flying in a moon-lit sky. I was so distracted by it that I ran into a table. The people sitting at the table stared at me in disgust. I apologized and walked on. He walked us to the back door.  
"Hey, what's the big deal? I want to eat inside!"  
"Mr. Sonic gave you reservations for the garden dining area, please follow me"  
I was a little disappointed, until I got outside. It was even more beautiful than the inside! Flowers of all sorts were in the garden, there was a large fountain with two Sirens spitting water out of their mouths, there were Greek-style statues standing in the midst of the garden.  
We followed the waiter to our table, it was right near the beach! You could see the ocean perfectly, the moon seemed to hover right above it, and the stars looked like they were dancing in the slow waves gently touching the shore.

I pulled the seat out for Rouge (my mother told me to treat women right).  
"Thank you, kind sir!" she curtsied and sat down.  
"You're very welcome, my lady!" I said very dorkishly and sat down across from her.  
"Your waiter will be here shortly" said the manager.  
"Thank you" said Rouge.  
The manager took a bow and walked off.  
I looked at the menu, they had anything you could think of! About 30 different assortments of steak, 18 different salads, about 80 different wines, and 11 deserts. Of course, nothing was under $40.  
"So, what are you getting?" I asked.  
"I don't really know, everything sounds good; I'll probably get one of their salads, what are you getting?"  
"I want a big, juicy sirloin steak with garlic mashed and a giant, cold glass of coke!"  
"Wow, no wonder you keep those big muscles in shape…" she said, winking at me.  
My whole body shivered.  
"Haha, yeah! I have to eat a lot of protein to keep my body from shutting down when I work out!"  
I felt like I was bragging, but I wanted to impress Rouge.  
"Well, you can definitely tell" she said, flirtatiously.  
"Good evening, and welcome to the Emerald Coast Steakhouse, where you're treated like royalty! May I take your order?"  
The waiter startled me, it seemed like he just popped out of nowhere.  
"I'll have the Cesar salad, extra tomatoes please, and some pomegranate green tea"  
"Alright… and you, sir?"  
"I'll have a sirloin steak, garlic mashed potatoes, and a glass of coke please"  
"How do you want your steak cooked?"  
"Medium rare"  
"Alright, your dinner will be out soon"  
"Thank you!" Rouge and I said in unison.  
The waiter bowed and walked away.  
"So, tell me about yourself" asked Rouge, looking at me attentively.  
"Well… I'm 24 years old, I've got a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice, and I work for the Station Square Detective Agency"  
"Really? That sounds interesting, tell me more about your work"  
"Well, my two partners and I have the best record in the agency, we're the best of the best!"  
"I'm impressed! You and your two partners must be invincible!"  
"I wouldn't go that far, we have our weaknesses…"  
"Such as?"  
"Well, Sonic can't go three minutes without pissing someone off, Tails can be the most socially awkward thing in History, and I can have a short temper. But we always seem to catch our man!"  
"I see, well I guess you guys are almost perfect!"  
"Enough about me, let's talk about you. If you're comfortable about it, tell me why you seem to have no self-confidence; even though you're obviously a very attractive and intelligent woman"  
"Well, I've just been hanging around with the wrong crowd for most of my life…"  
She started to get sad, I could see her Winter's morning blue eyes starting to water.  
"Hey, don't worry about it. You don't need to hang out with people like that, you are a talented lady. Just ditch 'em!"  
"I really wish I could, but I have a huge debt to pay to them"  
I saw a tear run down her face, this wasn't working out. Sorry Tails, but I can't get you the information you need by making a lady cry.  
"We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, we can talk about how beautiful it is out here! The flowers dancing in the breeze, the moon hovering just above the ocean, and the stars illuminating the night sky. It's all just so amazing, but not as amazing as you look tonight!"  
"I can't believe I just said that! She's gonna thing I'm some kind of Zeeb!" I though to myself.  
She didn't react the way I thought, though.  
"That is so sweet… you really are a perfect guy"  
She seemed to have some guilt on her face, I couldn't tell why.  
"What's wrong?"  
"Nothing…"  
"You sure? Your face seems to tell me otherwise"  
"No, I was just thinking about how I wouldn't deserve a guy like you. I've done too many regrettable things"  
"What's past is past, you can't change what's already happened. What you can change is your future, just do your best and try your hardest. You'll be alright, trust me!"  
"Thank you, Knuckles!"  
"…Anytime! Now, enough about that. Let's engage in a more cheery conversation"  
"Such as?"  
"Well, what are your interests?"  
"Hmm, let's see… I love jewels. I could spend hours upon hours staring at them, I guess that would make me somewhat greedy"  
"No, I like looking at beautiful things, too!"  
It was true, I was looking at a beautiful thing at that very moment.  
"I also daydream a lot. I think about going up to Chaos Ridge and looking at the sea during sunset. Although, I don't think that will ever happen"  
"Why can't it?" I asked.  
"Well, it's just impractical. It's the most romantic spot in this whole city. It would be lonely going up there by myself"  
That gave me an idea…

After we ate dinner (which was delicious, by the way), we walked around the shops and galleries that went all up Emerald Coast. I noticed I was much happier than normal when I was with her. It seemed that time stood still, and the whole world was made just for us. Is it normal to feel like that on the first date?  
We walked into an art gallery that just had paintings of landmarks, monuments, and buildings that were found in Station Square. There was one painting that caught Rouge's eye. It was a painting of Chaos Ridge during sunset. It was a sight to behold, and the real place must be awe-inspiring.  
"Rouge?"  
"Huh?" She said, barely paying attention because she was so fixated on the painting.  
"Do you want to go out with me again tomorrow?"  
She quickly took her eyes off of the painting and looked at me.  
"Really? You want to go on another date?"  
"Yeah, but this time a bit earlier. I'll pick you up at about 6:00, that okay?"  
"That would be perfect!"  
"Cool, it's a date!"  
"Yup, it's a da-" she was interrupted by her watch.  
"Darn! I hate to ask, but can we go now? I have to go home…"  
"Sure we can, let's go"

We walked back to my car, and I drove her back to her house.  
"Sorry I had to be home so soon. My Grandma's sick and I have to take care of her. She's on the other side of town"  
"Do you want me to take you there?"  
"No, it's okay. I don't want to trouble you! I have to go inside to get dressed anyway… good night, Knuckles!"  
She got out of the car and started to walk to her house.  
"See you tomorrow!" I yelled happily out the window.  
"See you tomorrow!" she yelled back.  
I watched her to make sure she got in safely, then headed home. I had a lot of planning to do for tomorrow's date. She's going to love it!


	8. Chapter 8: To Love or to Lose?

This is another chapter told by Rouge. Written by Leah Crego

"Well? Did you get anything out of him? What are their weaknesses?" Asked Eggman, in his really annoying fake-friendly voice.  
"Probably nothing you didn't already know… apparently their only weaknesses are trivial. Not much you can use Eggbrain!"  
"That's the third time you have failed to complete your mission. Perhaps I should double your debt, you already owe me six years of labor!"  
"Don't get your knickers in a bunch! I'm going on another date with him tomorrow night, I'll get as much information as I can!"  
"It had better be good, for your sake! If you don't acquire any usable information, you'll be my servant for twelve long years!"  
"Okay, okay! I'll turn up the feminine charm, he seems to trust me now!"  
"I trust your words, but my patience wears thin!"  
"I'm going home now, goodbye!"  
"Remember, bat girl! If you do manage to get some feasible information, your sentence gets cut in half and you get the Chaos Emerald… try hard and you'll succeed!"  
"…Right" I muttered as I walked out of the conference room.  
As much as I didn't want to admit it, I started to feel guilty. He was very sweet to me, more than anyone had ever been. How was I going to repay him? I was going to tell Eggman his deepest secrets!  
"When I do though, I will only have to be under Eggman for three short years, plus I get the Chaos Emerald as well! Sorry Knuckles, but I have to do it!"  
I was surprised at how quickly that night crept up, it seemed like I just woke up and already it was time for Knuckles to pick me up. This time I picked the dress, and it was gorgeous! It was a dark purple dress that showed my figure without making me look like some kind of slut.  
I looked at the clock, it was almost 6! I looked at myself one final time, I looked perfect! I felt nervous, I didn't know how the night would go. I heard the doorbell.  
"You can do this, Rouge!" I muttered to myself as I walked to the front door. I opened it and saw Knuckles standing there, with a very goofy (but adorable) grin.  
"You ready?" he asked softly.  
"Yes I am, where are we going?"  
"It's a surprise! Trust me, you'll love it!"  
He seemed way more excited than I was, I was trying to figure out where we were going.  
"Oh, before we go, I want to give you this!"  
His took his hand from behind his back. He had roses, blood red ones!  
"That's so sweet, Knuckles…thank you!"  
I took the roses inside and put them in a vase on my kitchen table.  
"Okay, now I'm ready!"  
He escorted me to the car and opened the car door for me like he always does, and he helped me in.  
"Please tell me where we're going, the suspense is killing me!"  
"I really don't want to ruin the surprise, you're going to enjoy yourself!"  
I let out a sigh as he turned the car on and backed out onto the street.  
We were heading out of Station Square, I couldn't think of anywhere worth going way out there. All of a sudden, he stopped the car and turned to me.  
"This will probably sound really weird, but can you put this bandana over your eyes for the rest of the way? I don't want to give away the surprise"  
I looked at him like he was on crack.  
"Are you serious?"  
"Yes I am, please do it? I'm not going to attack you or anything, I just want everything to be a surprise!"  
"…okay"  
I reluctantly took the bandana and tied it around my eyes.  
We drove for another 45 minutes (or that's my guess, I couldn't tell how long it really was because I was blindfolded). He stopped the car, got out, and helped me out of the car.  
"Can I take this off yet?"  
"Not yet, we still gotta walk for a little while"  
"Are you crazy? I am going to fall and bust my head open! I have no idea where we are, how do I know you're not just going to leave me out in the middle of nowhere or something?"  
"I wouldn't do that! Take my hand, I'll guide you the whole way"  
He softly grabbed my hand, and I almost fainted. His hands were so strong and manly, but also soft and gentle. We started walking uphill. It was hard to keep up with him, he was walking so fast. Was he that excited about where we were going? Finally, we stopped.  
"Okay, you can take it off now!"  
"About time, this had better be good!"  
I took the blindfold off, and my jaw about fell to the ground! He took me to Chaos Ridge.  
It was beautiful, he even had a picnic table set up as if it were for a five-star restaurant, and it would allow us to see the sunset. It was a candle-lit dinner in the most beautiful place in the whole city!  
"Knu-Knuckles, I can't believe you would do this for me!"  
"Shhhh"  
He gently placed a finger on my lips.  
"Just enjoy the view" he said as he lifted my chin up so he could kiss me.  
I have never had such a kiss. It was like nothing else mattered, it was as if we were the only two people in the world. I didn't want it to end. That's when I remembered I had work to do.  
I ended our passionate embrace, way earlier than I had wished.  
"S-so, what do we have for dinner?" I said, trying to change the subject.  
Knuckles looked so disappointed, like he did something wrong. I wanted to tell him what I was doing, I really did, but I wanted that emerald and my freedom more than anything!  
"Well, I made a three-course meal! First, we have a giant Cesar salad, then for the main course we have two cooked-to-perfection steaks, and a giant piece of chocolate cake to share!"  
"You went through all that trouble for me?"  
"It wasn't much trouble. To tell you the truth, I had my buddy Tails help me. I can't make a decant bowl of cereal by myself"  
"Well, this is all very sweet of you!"  
"You deserve it, you are an amazing woman!"  
I walked over to the picnic table and sat down.  
"I'm not that amazing…"  
Knuckles sat across from me with a confused look on his face.  
"I think you are the most amazing person I've ever met!"  
"Why do you think that? I'm really not… worthy of being called amazing"  
"I really don't care about your past…"  
He gently grabbed my hand to get me to look at him.  
"It's what you do now that's important! You can get your life together! You're a smart, strong, independent woman that does not see her worth. You are like a diamond that still thinks it's coal!"  
"Knuckles…"  
He stood up and we kissed again, this time more passionately, I could not help it this time. I have never met someone like him. Nobody has ever talked to me the way he did. I could feel his affections in our kiss.  
When our lips separated, he looked at me with a huge smile.  
"You can get your life together, I'll help you"  
Two sides of my mind were fighting. One side was saying don't fall in love, you have a mission to accomplish! The other side saying forget that damn emerald and Eggman, go with your heart!  
It was then I started to cry.  
"What's wrong?" Knuckles walked over to my side of the table and put his hand on my back reassuringly.  
I really wanted to tell him, but I couldn't. I quickly whipped up a lie, I had to get out of there.  
"It's my grandma, she's really sick and I feel bad. I came up here while she's on her deathbed!"  
"Do you want me to take you home so you can see her?"  
"Would you? You went through all this trouble and I'm ruining it!"  
"It's okay, I don't like seeing you upset. And I think your grandma needs you more than I do right now! Come on!"  
He helped me up and we left.

I was silent the whole ride home, I couldn't even look at him. I was scared that if I did I would tell him everything!  
"Here we are, do you want me to walk you to the door?"  
"It's okay, I can manage"  
"Alright then, be careful!"  
"I will, don't worry"  
I got out the door and headed up the sidewalk to my house.  
"Rouge!"  
I turned back at him.  
"There's something I want to say…"  
"What is it?" I asked.  
"I had a good time with you, and I think I love…" he stopped mid sentence.  
"I think I would love to go out again sometime…"  
I looked at him and nodded my head, then turned around and walked up to my house. He did not leave until I shut my front door.

My house was completely dark. I felt around for the switch, but felt something else. It was someones hand!  
"Who is that?" I screamed.  
All of a sudden the lights turned on, it was Eggman!  
"What are you doing here?"  
"I was too anxious to wait until tomorrow for the information you acquired! I just had to know as soon as possible… what did you find out?"  
"I quit this mission! I don't care about the emerald anymore!"  
"What did you say? This is not a choice bat-girl! Do it, or I'll double your sentence!"  
"I don't care, I'm not going to help you hurt him!"  
"Hmm, if I didn't know any better, I would say you have fallen for the echidna!"  
I turned away from him, I could not speak what my heat was screaming: yes! I have fallen in love with him!  
"Hahaha! This is just too rich! He is just another man that would end up hurting you in the end!"  
"He's different, Knuckles is genuine and sweet! "  
"He's just another man, Rouge!"  
I turned around and gave Eggman an earful.  
"No he's not! He's a good man, better than you can ever be! And another thing, Knuckles has no weaknesses! You can't win!"  
He stared at me for a few seconds, then he looked over at the kitchen table. He looked back at me and grinned an evil grin.  
"Oh, he has a weakness alright…"  
He walked over to the kitchen table and picked up the vase of roses.  
"I think I have found his weakness, it's you!"  
He threw the vase on the ground and stomped on the roses.  
"You bastard! How could you do that!"  
I fell to the ground and started picking up the pieces of glass and rose petals. I started bawling my eyes out.  
"I have one final mission for you, listen well!"  
"Go screw yourself!" I screamed.  
"If you do this, I will give you the one thing that's more important to you than the emerald…"  
He leaned down and whispered into my ear.  
"…your freedom"  
"What?"  
I stood up and looked at him, shocked.  
"Yes, do this mission and you will be a free woman!"  
"Do you want me to get information out of him?"  
"No, no… that won't be necessary"  
He reached into his pocket and pulled out an antique dagger.  
"You're going to kill him!"


End file.
